Happy Easter to All

People in the parish turned out in large numbers to pray and celebrate Holy Week and the Easter ceremonies.

Before the Holy Week ceremonies began, Fr Padraig McMahon and parish priests took a break from the preparations and “hit the town” on Wednesday lunchtime and afternoon “meeting and greeting” people in the Harbour Place Shopping Centre. “It was a very pleasant experience” Fr McMahon said. “We invited people to join us for the ceremonies and we got a really positive response from people. There’s often a risk that the religious side of Holy Week gets overlooked so we wanted to bring the Easter message and invitation to people where they are. In a week dominated by tragedies in Buncrana and Brussels, I think the message of Christ’s suffering and His resurrection resonated with people and gave us the reassurance of hope that we just needed at this time.”Check out some photos from Wednesday afternoon here.

On Wednesday evening, Bishop Smith was joined by over 80 priests for the Chrism Mass. There was a special emphasis on the Year of Mercy and many people took the pilgrim walk through the Door of Mercy in the Cathedral. Check out some photos from Wednesday evening here.

The Holy Thursday ceremony included a homily by a Scripture Professor from Maynooth Fr Seamus O'Connell,a full copy of his homily can be found here. The Washing of the feet involved a father and daughter from India, a mother from Nigeria and two Leaving Cert students. A collection was at the offertory of the Mass, the proceeds of which goes towards the parish social outreach. This work, apt for the Jubilee of Mercy, was also reflected in the Presentation of Gifts. Check out some photos from Thursday evening here.